The GWR rail franchise is to stop awarding Nectar points

West Country rail operator GWR has become the latest company to pull out of the Nectar programme.

30th March will be the last day to make a booking in order to earn Nectar points. Looking at the announcement, it doesn’t matter if your travel date is later.

In a statement on its website, GWR said:

“GWR will be leaving Nectar on 30 March. We have taken this decision as we adapt to the impact of COVID-19 on the railway and continue to evaluate our offer to deliver the best value for our customers and taxpayers.”

The other rail franchises managed by First Group, TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast, will continue to offer Nectar points at the current rate of 2 points per £1 spent.

The list of companies that have pulled out of Nectar since it launched is huge. The reason why is simple – with no ‘gamification’ (such as Tesco Clubcard’s ability to redeem via partners for 3x face value) the rewards are simply not enough to drive changes in customer behaviour.

The ability to get back 1% of your GWR spending in inflexible Nectar points was never going to move the needle when people were deciding how to travel. The drain on GWR’s pockets, on the other hand, would have been very noticeable.

PS. If you don’t have the Nectar American Express credit card, take a look at our review here.